During his weekly Monday afternoon press conference, Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer announced that freshman safety Jonathan Dowling is no longer a member of the football program due to a violation of team rules.

Rated as a five-star athlete coming out of high school by ESPNU, Dowling was also listed as the best at his position and the No. 10 recruit in the country last year. Rivals and Scout each considered him a four-star prospect and one of the top safeties in the nation.

Dowling is the third player from Florida’s highly touted freshman class to leave the program. Safety Jordan Haden and wide receiver Adrian Coxson transferred in Aug.

Unlike other dismissals, Meyer noted that Dowling is “done” with the team and will not be returning to the program. He refused to comment further.

OGGOA will update this story as more information is made available.

Photo Credit: Davide De Pas

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Jonathan Dowling, Jordan Haden, Urban Meyer

In the last five days, the Florida Gators lost two four-star freshmen – safety Jordan Haden and wide receiver Adrian Coxson – to transfer. In the last 24 hours, head coach Urban Meyer had to watch as two more freshmen underwent surgeries that will keep them out of action for the near future.

Early Friday, a University of Florida spokesman announced that four-star offensive tackle Chaz Green will miss two-to-four weeks after having hernia surgery. Later in the evening, the Miami Herald‘s Joseph Goodman reported that three-star linebacker Gideon Ajagbe would be out of action for 6-10 weeks after getting a partially torn rotator cuff repaired last Sunday.

Goodman spoke with Ajagbe’s Miami Ransom Everglades High School strength and conditioning coach, Mosi Blake, who said that the player is “feeling fine now that he’s out of the hospital and back with his friends in the dorms.”

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chaz Green, Gideon Ajagbe, Jordan Haden, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

Following in the footsteps of freshman safety Jordan Haden, who was granted a full release with no transfer exceptions by head coach Urban Meyer on on Aug. 16, wide receiver Adrian Coxson has also decided to leave the Florida Gators.

Citing home sickness as his chief reason, Coxson’s transfer has been agreed to by the University of Florida; he will be released from his scholarship effective immediately.

Early Thursday, freshman safety Matt Elam wrote the following innocuous message on his Twitter account: “I hate to see young men my age run away from something because it’s hard. Just destroying our class.”

A highly-rated four-star recruit from Maryland (like Haden) Coxson’s name had not been heard much in fall practice. The Gators signed four other WRs in their 2010 recruiting class including Chris Dunkley, Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton and Robert Clark and already have two-to-four committed for 2011 (depending on position choice).

UPDATE: Coxson will be transferring to Maryland, according to numerous media outlets.

OGGOA RELATED: Freshman S Jordan Haden looking to transfer

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chris Dunkley, Jordan Haden, Matt Elam, Quinton Dunbar, Robert Clark, Solomon Patton, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

Athletes care about their uniform numbers, and now that Florida Gators football is preparing to begin practice for the 2010-11 season in just about a week, it was time for the team’s newest members to choose theirs. The freshman roster, according to the University of Florida, can be found…after the break:
Continue Reading » Gators’ newest footballers pick uniform numbers

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Brandon Sanders, Chaz Green, Chris Dunkley, Cody Riggs, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Gerald Christian, Gideon Ajagbe, Ian Silberman, Jaylen Williams, Jonathan Dowling, Jordan Hadan, Josh Shaw, Leon Orr, Lynden Trail, Mack Brown, Matt Elam, Michael McFarland, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Phillip Bellino, Quinton Dunbar, Robert Clark, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton, Tyler Murphy, University of Florida

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer spoke with members of the media after receiving all 28 letters of intent for his team’s unanimous No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. The following is a transcript of the press conference, courtesy of the University of Florida’s University Athletic Association.
Continue Reading » Urban Meyer on Florida’s 2010 recruiting class

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chris Dunkley, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Friday Night Lights, Gerald Christian, Jordan Reed, Leon Orr, Lynden Trail, Mack Brown, Matt Elam, Michael McFarland, Michael Taylor, National Signing Day, Office of Student Life, Quinton Dunbar, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Steve Addazio, Tyler Murphy, Urban Meyer

As ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive first reported at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, four-star offensive tackle Chaz Green (Tampa, FL) has chosen to play for the Florida Gators.

Green, whose parents both went to the University of Tennessee and was thought to be heading there before head coach Lane Kiffin resigned, was considering joining Kiffin’s USC Trojans and even took an official visit to Pasadena, CA last weekend. He instead decided to remain close to home and play in a family environment.

His commitment marked the third for the Gators Wednesday, coming after three-star linebacker Darrin Kitchens (Homestead, FL) and four-star wide receiver Adrian Coxson (Baltimore, MD) made their declarations earlier. Florida retained all of its prior verbal commitments and will finish with 28 recruits and the nation’s unanimously ranked No. 1 recruiting class.

OGGOA will update this story after the conclusion of National Signing Day.

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chaz Green, Darrin Kitchens, National Signing Day

Adding to the Florida Gators already stellar and unanimously No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class is four-star wide receiver Adrian Coxson (Baltimore, MD), who committed to the team Wednesday.

Coxson, at 6’2″ and 194 lbs., was long believed to have the Gators in the lead for his services after decommitting from the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Florida made it a point to acquire a deep group of talented receivers, and Coxson is its fourth in the 2010 class along with four-stars Chris Dunkley (Pahokee, FL), Solomon Patton (Mobile, AL) and Quinton Dunbar (Miami, FL).

OGGOA will update this story after the conclusion of National Signing Day.

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Chris Dunkley, National Signing Day, Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton

National Signing Day is approaching on Feb. 3, and the Florida Gators are looking to add to their consensus No. 1-ranked 2010 recruiting class. Seeing as high school football players across the country will begin making declarations as early as Friday afternoon, OGGOA has put together a comprehensive preview of the recruits the Gators are still attempting to gain commitments from. The top 10 players who Florida is after are listed below along with a short prediction at the end.

OT Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN)
Rivals: No. 2 – ESPNU: No. 8
Also considering: Ohio State, Southern California, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Miami (FL)

His high school is a pipeline to Notre Dame, his last visit is to Miami, he’s been (reportedly) favoring Ohio State for quite some time, he’s from Minnesota and USC has been in his ear lately making a big push. Florida is considered a long-shot to land Henderson, one of the top overall recruits in the country and the consensus No. 1 offensive lineman.

Learn about the other nine recruits who you should keep an eye on after the jump!
Continue Reading » Ten recruits to watch on National Signing Day

Tags: Adrian Coxson, Charlie Strong, Chaz Green, Christian Jones, Da'Rick Rogers, Darrin Kitchens, Demar Dorsey, Dietrich Riley, Ivan McCartney, Jeremy Deering, Jordan Hicks, Kardon Boone, Markeith Ambles, Matt Elam, Morgan Moses, Seantrel Henderson, Telvin Smith, Urban Meyer